Kathmandu: Nearly three weeks after a devastating glacial collapse triggered floods and mudslides along the Nepal China border, thousands of families are still waiting for news of relatives whose whereabouts remain unknown.
At least 1,386 bodies have been recovered in Nepal, while more than 5,130 people remain missing, according to the latest figures from Nepali authorities. In China's Xizang Autonomous Region, commonly known as Tibet, 43 people have died and another 519 remain missing.
The disaster struck on August 26 after a glacial collapse triggered a huge flow of water, mud and rocks through mountain valleys. The disaster destroyed homes, roads and hydropower facilities and severely damaged the Gyirong border crossing between Nepal and China.
The scale of the destruction has made the search for missing people extremely difficult. Large quantities of debris have covered parts of the affected areas, while damaged roads and communications have slowed rescue and identification work.
For families, the disaster has not ended.
Indian consultant Arushi Gupta, 33, was travelling towards Mount Kailash on pilgrimage when the disaster struck. She sent her family a photograph of the Gyirong Port immigration post on August 26 and was last heard from as she prepared to cross the border.
Her family has travelled to Nepal, contacted authorities and hospitals and provided a DNA sample to help with identification. They continue to hope that she may have survived.
In Norway, 22 year old Ukrainian film student Vladyslava Horlova is also waiting for news of her mother, Elena Horlova, who was travelling with a group of Ukrainians on a spiritual retreat.
The families of missing people have faced weeks of uncertainty as authorities continue to search for survivors and identify recovered remains.
The official missing figure does not mean that every person listed is confirmed dead. Authorities are still checking records and trying to establish the whereabouts of people who have not been located. Some recovered remains also have yet to be identified.
Identifying the recovered remains has become a major part of the ongoing response. Of the 1,386 bodies recovered in Nepal in the latest detailed figures, only 104 had been identified and handed over to families by September 12.
Nepal Police and forensic teams are collecting DNA samples from relatives to help identify victims. Forensic teams from India, China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea are supporting Nepal's identification efforts.
The search has also focused on hydropower facilities badly damaged by the floods. Hundreds of workers were reported missing from hydropower projects, with some believed to have been trapped inside tunnels.
There have been rare cases of people being rescued alive from damaged hydropower tunnels. A Chinese national was rescued from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project on September 5, more than nine days after the disaster.
Nepali worker Sanjay Sah also survived for nine days inside a hydropower tunnel before rescuers reached him. His rescue became one of the rare signs of hope during the continuing search.
The rescue effort has involved Nepal and several international partners. Tunnel rescue teams from India, China and South Korea have worked with the Nepali Army, while teams from the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Australia have also supported the response.
China has continued search operations in the Gyirong area and has provided emergency assistance and equipment. Chinese authorities have also sent supplies including generators, medical equipment, mortuary freezers and DNA testing equipment to Nepal.
The disaster has now developed into a wider humanitarian crisis. The United Nations and humanitarian partners have appealed for $49.6 million to assist more than 84,000 people affected by floods and landslides in northern Nepal.
The long term damage is also becoming clearer. More than a dozen hydropower plants were damaged, affecting Nepal's electricity supply and export capacity. India has approved electricity exports of up to 654 megawatts to Nepal for 18 hours a day until December 31 to help the country deal with the disruption.
Nepal is also seeking about $5 billion in international assistance for recovery and reconstruction. Its initial damage assessment estimated that reconstruction alone would require about $4.78 billion.
The disaster has also renewed concerns about the growing risks faced by communities in the Himalayan region. Nepal has highlighted the disaster in its wider call for international support and climate justice.
For families such as those of Arushi Gupta and Elena Horlova, the lack of information has left them facing painful uncertainty.
As rescue teams continue searching tunnels, river valleys and areas covered by debris, authorities are still trying to establish the full human cost of the August 26 disaster. The number of recovered bodies and missing people may change further as searches continue and unidentified remains are processed.
The immediate disaster has passed, but the search for the missing and the identification of recovered remains are continuing.